Bell 206B II N2917W
14 August 1990 · San Francisco, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 14 August 1990 at about 01:36 local time, a Bell 206B II registered N2917W, operated by Astro Copters Ltd., was involved in an accident near San Francisco, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 01:36
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 37.7908, -122.4591
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B II
- Registration
- N2917W
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Astro Copters Ltd.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Other Work Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- San Rafael → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX90LA283
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE HELICOPTER. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S DECISION TO OPERATE THE HELICOPTER IN A FLIGHT REGIME CONDUCIVE TO UNANTICIPATED RIGHT YAW.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
PILOT WAS MANEUVERING HIS HELIOCPTER IN A CLIMBING RIGHT TURN AROUND A SAILBOAT TO PROVIDE AN AERIAL PLATFORM FOR A MOVIE FILM CREW. ABOUT 100 FEET ABOVE THE WATER AND A FEW FEET FROM THE SAILBOAT MAST, THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO SPIN TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE HELICOPTER WAS DOWNWIND FROM THE RELATIVE WIND DIRECTION. THE PILOT REDUCED COLLECTIVE PITCH AND THE SPIN STOPPED. DUE TO THE COLLECTIVE REDUCTION, THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE HELICOPTER BEFORE IT STRUCK THE OCEAN SURFACE AND SANK.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Mar 1990 | Bell 206B | Pearland, Texas, United States | Houston Helicopter, Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Aug 1990 | Bell 206B | Elkhorn, Wisconsin, United States | - | Fatal | 5 |
| 12 Feb 1990 | Bell 206B | Fort Thompson, South Dakota, United States | DOE | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Bell 206L-1 | E. Island BLK15 | Houston Helicopter Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 10 Sep 1990 | Bell 206B | Oahu, Hawaii, United States | Hawaii Int'l Helicopters | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 May 1990 | Bell 206BIII | Kaplan, Louisiana, United States | Industrial Helicopters Inc | No injuries | - |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Piper PA46 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Piper Aircraft Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |